Conservamos por Naturaleza

Conservamos por Naturaleza
Name	Conservamos por Naturaleza

Conservamos por Naturaleza is a Colombian conservation initiative aimed at protecting biodiversity, restoring ecosystems, and promoting sustainable land use across Colombia. The program operates within a network of national parks, regional authorities, and international partners to implement conservation actions, scientific research, and community engagement. It engages with protected areas, indigenous territories, and private reserves to address threats from deforestation, species loss, and climate change.

Historia

Conservamos por Naturaleza traces its roots to policy frameworks and institutional reforms associated with Sistema Nacional de Áreas Protegidas de Colombia, Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible, and strategies emerging after the Cumbre de la Tierra (1992) and subsequent multilateral agreements. Early development drew on collaborations with Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia, Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, Banco Mundial, and bilateral aid from entities such as Agencia de los Estados Unidos para el Desarrollo Internacional and Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional. Initiatives were influenced by scientific inputs from Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Universidad de los Andes, and conservation NGOs including World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, Fundación Natura, and Fundación para la Conservación y el Desarrollo Sostenible. Political contexts involving Constitución de Colombia de 1991, peace processes like the Acuerdo de Paz (2016), and regional planning by Gobernación de Antioquia, Gobernación del Meta, and municipal governments framed program rollout. International environmental law instruments such as the Convenio sobre la Diversidad Biológica and Convención Marco de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Cambio Climático provided legal and funding pathways.

Objetivos y alcance

The program’s objectives align with targets set by Convenio sobre la Diversidad Biológica, Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible, and national biodiversity plans administered by Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible and Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt. Goals include expansion of Red Natura 2000-inspired networks in Colombian context, strengthening Áreas Protegidas like Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona, Parque Nacional Natural Sierra de la Macarena, Parque Nacional Natural Amacayacu, and Santuario de Fauna y Flora Los Flamencos. Scope encompasses species conservation for taxa documented in lists by International Union for Conservation of Nature, including flagship species like Jaguar, Andean condor, Amazon river dolphin, and endemic flora identified by Kew Gardens partners. The program integrates community livelihoods via partnerships with Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura, Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo, and indigenous organizations such as Consejo Regional Indígena del Cauca and Asociación de Cabildos Indígenas del Norte del Cauca.

Programas y proyectos principales

Key projects link to habitat restoration in Amazonian and Andean corridors, species recovery plans, and sustainable finance mechanisms. Examples include reforestation and connectivity projects in landscapes adjacent to Parque Nacional Natural Los Nevados, watershed protection for basins like Río Magdalena and Río Putumayo, and marine conservation in areas near Islas del Rosario and Archipiélago de San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina. Conservation actions coordinate with programs such as Programa de Manejo de Cuencas, Pago por Servicios Ambientales pilots, community-based ecotourism modeled after initiatives in Eje Cafetero and Minca, and biodiversity monitoring using methodologies from Global Biodiversity Information Facility and Grupo de Trabajo en Monitoreo de Biodiversidad. Species-centric efforts mirror recovery work done for Tortuga Carey, Delfín rosado del Amazonas, Guacamayo rojo, and amphibian programs led by IUCN Amphibian Specialist Group. Research and capacity building are delivered via academies like Universidad del Valle, Universidad Javeriana, Corporación Autónoma Regional del Valle del Cauca, and international research cooperation with Smithsonian Institution, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and Universidad de California, Berkeley.

Organización y financiamiento

Governance arrangements involve coordination among Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible, Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia, regional Corporaciones Autónomas Regionales, and civil society actors including Fundación Natura, WWF Colombia, Fundación Omacha, Fundación Biodiversa Colombia, and community councils such as Asociación de Consejos Comunitarios del Pacífico Sur. Financial sources combine national budget appropriations, trust funds, and international funding from Banco Mundial, Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo, Fondo Verde para el Clima, Global Environment Facility, and philanthropic donors like Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and Global Wildlife Conservation. Payment schemes reference mechanisms seen in Mecanismo de Desarrollo Limpio projects and carbon finance instruments including voluntary markets supported by registries like Verra.

Impacto y resultados

Reported outcomes include hectares of forest under protection, corridors reconnected, and species population stabilizations documented in monitoring reports by Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute, IDEAM, and academic partners. Case studies cite improvements in landscape connectivity near Serranía de Chiribiquete, reduced illegal mining incidents in areas monitored with Policía Nacional de Colombia support, and enhanced community income from ecotourism in Leticia, San Vicente del Caguán, and Guatapé. Data contributions have fed into national reporting for Convention on Biological Diversity targets and NDCs submitted under UNFCCC. Collaborative science publications have appeared in journals associated with Royal Society Publishing and institutions like Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.

Críticas y desafíos

Critics point to challenges familiar from conservation practice involving land tenure conflicts with Comunidades Indígenas, enforcement gaps when confronting illegal mining linked to FARC dissident groups or criminal networks, and limited long-term financing similar to constraints faced by Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia historically. Debates reference tensions between protected area expansion and rural development priorities in regions such as Chocó biogeographic region, Amazonas Department, and Orinoquía, and call for better integration with social policies of Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística and local planning by Alcaldías municipales. Technical critiques emphasize monitoring capacity, transparency in fund allocation, and need for adaptive management drawing lessons from international examples like Yellowstone National Park restorations, Costa Rica’s payment for ecosystem services, and community conservancies in Kenya.

Category:Conservation in Colombia